Clamp Retainer Flange Structure for Stable Shaft Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe clamp designs face challenges in maintaining the clamp in position during shipping and installation, which can complicate the installation process.
Innovation Solution
A retainer is designed to hold the clamp in position, featuring a shell with moveable segments and a tensioning mechanism. The retainer includes cantilevered flanges with curved tips to engage and retain the threaded shaft, ensuring the clamp remains in place during installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the clamp is designed without a retainer, then the device complexity is reduced, but the clamp cannot maintain its position during shipping and installation
Solution Approach 1:
The retainer is designed as a separate component from the clamp assembly, allowing it to be attached and removed independently. This segmentation enables the retainer to provide positioning functionality without permanently increasing the complexity of the clamp structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The retainer is attached to the clamp before shipping and installation to preliminarily secure the clamp in the desired position. This preliminary action prevents position drift during handling and installation, and the retainer can be easily removed after installation is complete.
2Strength
If the retainer uses rigid flanges to engage the threaded shaft, then the retention strength is improved, but the assembly difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flanges are designed with elastic flexibility, allowing them to dynamically adapt to the threaded shaft dimensions. This elasticity enables the flanges to engage the shaft securely while still allowing for easy assembly through simple snap-fit or press-fit actions without requiring precision alignment or complex fastening procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The flange material or structural parameters are selected to provide optimal elastic properties, allowing the flanges to deflect slightly during assembly to accommodate manufacturing tolerances, then maintain strong retention force once engaged with the threaded shaft.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The retainer effectively maintains the clamp in position, simplifying the installation process by ensuring that the clamp is securely aligned and tightened without additional manual effort.
Implementation Method 1
The first and/or second cantilevered flanges may be configured to deflect elastically to permit the threaded shaft to move relative to the first segment
Data Source
AI summary
Clamp assemblies and associated methods are disclosed. According to one aspect, a clamp assembly may comprise a shell, a tensioning mechanism, and a retainer. The shell includes a pair of segments sized to be positioned over a joint connection, with the pair of segments being moveable between an open position and a contracted position. The tensioning mechanism is operable to tighten the pair of segments and includes a threaded shaft extending through a segment opening defined in a first segment of the pair of segments. The retainer is coupled with the first segment and includes a first cantilevered flange configured to engage the threaded shaft to retain the threaded shaft in the segment opening when the shell is in the open position.